


Object Impermanence

by leporidae



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-12 01:00:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9049012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leporidae/pseuds/leporidae
Summary: Mayuzumi Chihiro is cursed to always be forgotten.And yet, there is that one person who always remembers.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sheik](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sheik/gifts).



> My KnB Secret Santa 2016 gift fic for Manu (kiyoshis.tumblr.com). 
> 
> You said you like Mayuzumi and Akashi and mayuaka (which I picked because I love mayuaka as well so it was the easiest for me to write), as well as AUs, so have a sort of weird mayuaka AU - hope it's not too out there. I guess since Akashi's birthday was a few days ago, it could also count as a late Akashi birthday fic? I tried starting a bunch of different ideas actually but this is the only one I made any progress on, so I really do hope it's all right. You were my Secret Santa last year and I still absolutely adore the art you made me so I hope I managed to return the favor at least somewhat.
> 
> Have a wonderful holiday!

Akashi Seijuurou, prince of Rakuzan, conjures fireworks out of thin air with no effort, the colors crackling out of his fingertips like lightning and exploding on the stage in front of him. The crowd is utterly enthralled, hundreds of pairs of sparkling eyes trained on the miracle blossoming in front of them like a flower. As per the usual when any member of the Akashi family publicly shows off their magic, the town square is packed full of people, all holding their breath with wonder as the prince of the royal family enchants them with his powers, a beacon of hope for all watching. 

Well, all but one.

Mayuzumi Chihiro suppresses the urge to yawn as he leans up against the back of the stage. Over and over again he’s seen the same tired magic routine, meant to inspire the masses, which it does - but Mayuzumi himself has grown weary of the repetition. How can the commoners be so gullible every single time? Akashi only has to perform a few frilly tricks with that annoyingly serene smile of his plastered to his face, and suddenly magic becomes something unconditionally beautiful - the saving grace of the kingdom, even. The ordinary citizens of the kingdom practically _worship_ magic, blissfully unaware of its poisonous dark side. 

They don’t know how painful and bitter magic can be. Not like him. 

The last of the fireworks dies down, and Akashi speaks in a voice that is clear and composed. "And for my last enchantment, one that is timeless and true in the world of magic: I will make my assistant disappear." 

When Mayuzumi steps forward, a few quiet gasps ripple through the crowd, and his lips curl into a scowl. As usual, despite having been on stage assisting Akashi for the entirety of the performance, most of the audience has forgotten his existence. Even so, he lets Akashi guide him forward, feeling uncomfortably pressured by the gazes burning into him, despite the fact that none of them are going to remember him whatsoever in a few minutes. 

Mayuzumi steps quietly into the box. Akashi’s final trick doesn’t require him to use any of _his_ magic, but rather solely relies on Mayuzumi’s own lack of presence. Mayuzumi only need step out the other side of the box and be hidden from the crowd for them to believe he has disappeared. And once he's outside their field of vision, they will begin to wonder if Akashi's assistant during the performance had ever been real in the first place, or if it had just been another of Akashi's conjurings, an illusion of their memory. 

After the crowd has filtered away, none of them remember a person named Mayuzumi Chihiro.

* * *

Mayuzumi is plagued by a rather strange curse. 

Up until a certain age, all infants suffer from a lack of object permanence - that is to say, when an object disappears from their field of vision, they believe it to have disappeared entirely. This can lead to said infant suddenly in distress when they believe their parent or the toy they had been playing with to have vanished entirely from existence. Without language, infants also have very limited memories. After the initial shock of something or someone disappearing, an infant will quickly forget that person or object even existed. 

Mayuzumi had been born on a day that, according to his family's magic consultant, had been deemed "extremely mystically unfavorable."  Most people in the kingdom of Rakuzan have no magical inclination whatsoever, with the exception of the royal family who all possess very strong, but controllable, magic. The Akashi family uses their magic to keep the peace and protect the kingdom as well as entertain and enchant non magic users by putting on public shows once a month. 

Whereas the Akashi magic would be considered a blessing, Mayuzumi lies on the other, more unfortunate end of the spectrum as one of the rare few commoners who had been inflicted with a curse upon his birth. His affliction is very simple but extremely irritating: when he vanishes from someone's line of sight, that person slowly begins to forget he was ever there at all. No one apart from him for more than an hour even remotely remembers he exists. His name and face become completely unfamiliar to them, no matter how much interaction he’s had with them before they separate. 

Sometimes there are benefits to his condition. For example, he can eat at any restaurant without paying the bill, and no one would remember to chase after him, though sometimes they would forget to even serve him in the first place. And he could steal anything from any store with little to no consequence, though he rarely took more than food and sometimes books. 

But oh, is he ever  _bored._  

He's tired of having to reintroduce himself to his parents every time he steps foot in his own home. He's tired of not being recognized at the library he’d visited every day for the past ten years of his life.

When he dies, he'll leave no legacy, no impact whatsoever, just another dead and rotting body thrown into the gutter of the slums to attract the rats and maggots.

Won't that just be fucking  _wonderful._

* * *

Despite his misgivings about magic, Mayuzumi had finally, _begrudgingly_ watched one of the prince’s shows once, about two years prior. As the future ruler and symbol of Rakuzan’s hope, being able to perform in front of a crowd once a month was one of Akashi's rites of passage before being instated into power himself. Once he had a child and was in charge of the kingdom himself, that child would be the figurehead of hope for the masses and Akashi would come of age as the diplomatic ruler, following the cycle of the kingdom and all the members of the Akashi family before him. 

It was mesmerizing, Akashi’s magic, almost making him forget the evil side of magic and how thoroughly it had ruined his life. Watching Akashi had almost – but not _quite_ – banished the cynic in him, if only for a moment. The very next month he had attended another of Akashi's shows, despite the voice in his mind constantly reminding him that such spectacles were useless and grossly pandering to the public.

And then, Akashi had spoken to him, and had said those words Mayuzumi would never have expected to hear even if he lived for a million years. 

“Excuse me, may I have a word? I recognize you from my last performance, and I sense a very powerful magic in you. Could you, perhaps, spare a few minutes of your time?” 

Mayuzumi had gaped like a dumb fish, completely unable to respond. 

“I promise I’m not _that_ frightening,” Akashi had added with a soft smile. “You’re not under arrest or anything of the sort, so there’s no need to worry. I simply wish to talk.”

“You – you recognize me?”

Akashi hadn't forgotten him. Mayuzumi chalked that up to the prince's own magic powers - perhaps they counteracted Mayuzumi's curse somehow? Whatever the reason, he didn't care. For the first time in his underwhelming lonely eighteen years of existence, Mayuzumi Chihiro was more than just a wisp of smoke destined to be blown away by the wind. He was a person with an identity. 

Akashi _recognized_ him. 

“I do. In fact, when I saw you last month, I thought you stood out quite a bit. Forgive me if I sound invasive, but something about you was rather... _intriguing_.” 

Mayuzumi was not a social person, not even close, but in that moment he found himself spilling everything to Akashi that day, complaining about the boredom he’d suffered constantly, the bitterness he held towards magic, and his overall shitty quality of life. Akashi had listened patiently and replied by offering him a position as his assistant, both in his performances and in his daily life. “Like a servant?” Mayuzumi had asked with a suspicious tone and raised eyebrow.

Akashi had laughed and replied, “More like hired help. A hired _friend_ , if you are so willing.” 

Of course Mayuzumi had been willing. He knew he’d never have another opportunity like this, after all.

(Besides, it wasn't like his family would remember they had a son if he left to go live in the castle.)

* * *

"I'm sorry to use you as an attraction again," Akashi says after the show concludes, eyes twinkling. "But even to the repeat crowds, you're always a novel experience. That's what's so fascinating about you, after all."

Mayuzumi grunts and turns away. He willingly assists Akashi in his demonstrations because god knows what good he can do with his curse otherwise, but he still doesn't like being reminded of his intangibility, that the moment the audience turns away he's no more than an unreachable memory.

"That aside, I'm going away next week," Akashi says after a silence. "It's a diplomatic meeting with Seirin's prince, Kuroko Tetsuya. Unfortunately, only members of the royal family will be permitted to cross the territory border, so regrettably I must leave you behind. It will only be a handful of days, of course, so I expect you will be able to manage your own affairs while I am gone?"

Mayuzumi freezes. When he does manage to speak, all he can choke out is a clipped, "Oh." 

"Something the matter, Mayuzumi-san?" 

"No." 

" _Chihiro_." 

Mayuzumi flinches. "What? I'm fine." 

Akashi smiles knowingly. "You think I'll forget you." It's a statement, not a question, as though he's absolutely certain he knows what Mayuzumi is thinking at all times. 

(He's not wrong, of course.) 

"No, I don't." 

"Please stop lying to me. The anxiety about the situation is written clearly on your face, Chihiro. Why won't you let me put your mind at ease? Please, be more open with me. Tell me your thoughts - I insist." 

Mayuzumi looks away, bites his lip. "Working alongside you is - not so bad. If you forget about me when you're gone, I'll lose my only source of income," he adds lamely. 

"And your friend." 

"Huh?" 

Akashi smiles sadly. "Aren't we friends, Chihiro?" 

Mayuzumi has always been far too scared to use that dreaded word to refer to anyone. _Friends._  In school, teachers would forget to call his name during roll, and peers that worked with him would never contact him after group projects, simply because his existence had ceased being real for them. Why call someone a friend when they'll never remember you the next day? It's a waste of time and emotional effort. 

“I’m not worried,” is all Mayuzumi says, folding his arms across his chest stubbornly.

Akashi chuckles. “If you say so. Either way, I’ll be back for you.” 

“Whatever you say.” 

Mayuzumi tries not to care, he really does. But the more he tries not to think about it, the more the fear of being forgotten gnaws at him, like a rat chewing a hole in his gut. 

Or maybe his heart.

* * *

The week apart from Akashi is nothing short of torture. 

Mayuzumi wanders aimlessly though the halls of the castle, introducing and reintroducing himself to the staff repeatedly until he grows tired off the effort and sulks off into the library alone. The Akashi family library is full of ancient tomes in a multitude of subjects: magic, history and politics, mathematics and science – just to name a few. But Mayuzumi bypasses the intellectual scriptures in favor of the novels. He likes reading about heroes who slay dragons and fend off intruders and are glorified in eternal stories of myths and legends, because he can live vicariously through them when he reads, pretend that their fame and fortune is his own. 

But it’s boring. He misses Akashi, as much as it pains him to admit it even to himself. He misses the way Akashi laughs at his dry humor, the way Akashi's eyes light up in recognition when he sees him. He misses the nights after particularly grueling public performances when Akashi is so tired he falls asleep in Mayuzumi’s bed with one arm around him, and Mayuzumi lets him stay there as he finishes the chapter of his novel before turning off the bedside lamp and snuggling up next to him until morning. His heart aches at the memory of last year’s end of the year party, where Akashi had been so drunk that Mayuzumi had been forced to carry him back to bed despite being tipsy himself, and then in the ensuing delirium the two of them had kissed for what felt like hours. It was an incident Akashi barely remembers, but Mayuzumi sometimes thinks of it at inopportune times, such as during prestigious dinners with members of opposing kingdoms in which Mayuzumi is supposed to be playing the role of a dignified right hand man but instead continuously steals glances at the prince’s lips. 

What would he do if all that was taken from him? His memories with Akashi are truly the only worthwhile memories of his life. If Akashi can't remember him after being apart from him, there's no way of proving that their relationship hadn’t just been Mayuzumi’s wild fever dream. Maybe he’s the crazy one, not everyone else. Maybe he has no curse, maybe it's simply a figment of his own imagination.

Maybe he doesn't exist at all. 

The thought terrifies him.

When the carriages return with Akashi and the rest of the royal family, everyone else rushes outside to greet them. Mayuzumi, in an absurd act of defiance, instead remains alone in the garden, leaning against a tree with a book propped up against his knees. He can’t absorb any of the words dancing before his unfocused eyes; though he attempts to skim the collections of letters, it is a futile effort, his raging heartbeat betraying him, a vortex of anxiety swirling within him and threatening to consume him. 

He doesn’t want to know if Akashi has forgotten him. 

Idly his gaze travels to the pond in the center of the garden. It’s fairly deep, he knows that for a fact – at the very least, deeper than he is tall. Perhaps he ought to just climb in and let himself sink to the bottom. The groundskeeper who cleans the pond every week would certainly get a nasty shock if she found a dead body in the water, but at least the shock wouldn't last after she'd forgotten about him. No one would grieve for him longer than a day or so, if that. Perhaps it would even be a mercy - 

“Is that you, Chihiro?” 

Mayuzumi freezes, afraid to believe it. 

He looks up, lets out a shaky breath. 

“Akashi.” 

“We’re alone, you know,” Akashi teases. 

“…Seijuurou.” 

The prince steps forward and wraps his arms around him, burying his face in the taller boy’s shoulder, and Mayuzumi knows Akashi can feel his entire body shaking. 

"I was worried when you didn't come out to see me," Akashi says softly. "I thought maybe you had forgotten me."

"That's not funny," Mayuzumi growls, clutching the smaller boy tighter to his chest.

Akashi raises his head to blink up at him, cranes his neck to kiss his jawline. "I'm home," he murmurs against Mayuzumi's skin.

"Mm."

“I’ll never forget you, Chihiro. I promise.” 

A flurry of sarcastic responses swims to the forefront of his mind. _I wasn’t worried at all – I wouldn’t even care if you did – why are you being so sappy when we were only apart for a week? I barely even noticed you were gone._  

For once, he can’t fire off the usual quips. 

“Thank you,” Mayuzumi mumbles instead, running his hand through Akashi’s hair, and he can feel the breath of the other’s sigh against neck. 

Akashi leans back, a mischievous glint in his eye. “How uncharacteristically warm of you, to express gratitude in such a manner. Did you really miss me that much?” 

“…Shut up." A pause, then: "I did," he admits sullenly.

"I missed you too, Chihiro."

Though it's barely perceptible, Mayuzumi smiles.


End file.
